


Elderberry Pie

by argentumauream



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, Glamour Springs trauma, Hurt/Comfort, i don't know how to tag, there's Taakitz in this but it's not rly what it's about so that's why it's gen, tw in the notes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-03-08 11:43:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18893953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/argentumauream/pseuds/argentumauream
Summary: Angus wants to try elderberry pie, Taako can't quite forget what happened the last time he used elderberries. But it'll be fine, right?





	Elderberry Pie

**Author's Note:**

> Main TW is just like,,,,, Taako panics really hard in this like things get crazy for a hot second, also he's p fucked up about Glamour Springs obviously, but there's nothing really that serious I don't think. The other one I don't wanna say here cos it spoils the fic and I don't think it's a super common trigger, but if you wanna be sure I'll put it in the end notes. Enjoy the fic! :)

“This is delicious sir!”

Taako chuckled as Angus spoke, voice muffled through mouthfuls of pie. “Of course it is, I’m a fucking genius.” 

Angus smiled at him, lips stained dark purple from the elderberries. 

Kravitz gave his knee a squeeze under the table, and when Taako looked he was smiling too, fond and almost proud in way that made Taako want to roll his eyes and blush.  

Angus had been looking through some of Taako’s old cookbooks that afternoon, helping him decide what to make for dinner, when he’d come across the recipe for elderberry pie. He’d told Taako excitedly that he’d never had elderberries and he’d like to try it. Taako had immediately gotten snippy with him, scolding him and telling him to pick something that wasn’t 90% sugar. But Kravitz had seen right through the annoyance to the anxiety simmering underneath. Taako had told him about Glamour Springs. He pulled him aside and Taako felt all his walls coming down, in the annoying way they always did around Kravitz.

“I  _ can’t  _ Krav, you  _ know  _ I can’t. Not- not with him at least.” Taako willed himself to stop ringing his hands, but he couldn’t. 

He knew that it hadn’t been his fault. He’d never accidentally transmuted elderberry into nightshade even once in his life, hell, he’d never transmuted anything without noticing. But no matter how much he reminded himself, no matter how much he  _ knew,  _ he still had nightmares about goddamn elderberries. More than one of which had featured Kravitz, or Lup, or  _ Angus. _

“-it’s not something you should just ignore love, you have to get past-”

“I can’t!” Taako practically shouted, cutting off whatever Kravitz was saying. He had that crease in his brow he got when Taako said something that upset him, which just made him feel like shit.

“I’m sorry Krav I-”

“Sir?” Angus’ small voice came from the entrance to the living room where they’d left him.

Taako looked away from him. “It’s nothing Ango don’t worry about it.”

“I’m sorry sir, I shouldn’t have asked you to make it. I know about- about what happened. I’m sorry.”

Angus sounded anxious, like he was afraid Taako was going to yell at him, and that  made Taako’s heart clench with guilt. 

“I can’t stand to watch this keep hurting you Taako.” Kravitz said quietly. 

At that Taako managed to get himself to stop looking at the floor. Kravitz was looking at him almost imploringly, and Angus was standing in the doorway, eyes darting from Taako to Kravitz to the carpet and back again. 

And fuck, if Taako couldn’t get over his trauma for himself, maybe he could do it to make Angus a pie. It would at least be a step in the right direction.

So he took in a shaky breath, and forced himself to be sincere for once in his fucking life. “I should be the one apologizing kiddo.” He said, going over to crouch in front of Angus. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. I can-” he swallowed hard. “I can make you the pie.”

He could see Angus relax when he realized Taako wasn’t mad, and he beamed at him. “Can I help?”

And so, after sending Kravitz on a quick trip to the store for elderberries, Taako and Angus took to the kitchen. Where Taako would usually be levitating bowls from the cabinet to the counter or making the pie crust roll itself out, he was carefully doing everything by hand, not wanting any magic to be involved. He tasted the elderberries every five minutes, just in case. At first he was too anxious to actually let Angus help, but Kravitz sat down on one of the stools on the other side of the counter and was giving him encouraging smiles, and the farther along he got the better he felt. Teaching Angus how to make the filling was a good distraction from his nerves, and before he knew it he was dancing around the kitchen like he usually did, laughing and joking with the other two by the time the pie went into the oven.

“Nuh uh,” Taako snatched the bowl of leftover berries out of Angus’ reach as he grabbed for a handful. “The first time you’re tasting these bad boys is gonna be in the best goddamn pie you’ve ever had.”

“You say that everything you make is going to be the best thing I’ve ever had.” Angus giggled.

“And am I ever wrong?” Taako smirked as he popped a handful into his mouth.

It didn’t seem like he was, because as soon as Angus had taken his first bite of the freshly baked pie, his eyes had gone wide and he’d begun scarfing it down.

“Geez kid, can you even taste it when you eat it that fast?”

“Mhm” Angus nodded as he gulped down the last of his first slice and reached to serve himself a second.

Taako rolled his eyes, though he was smiling affectionately. Kravitz looked sheepish as he pushed his plate back, also cleaned in record time. 

“What can I say love? You’re a fucking genius.” 

Taako grinned. “You know it.” He pecked Kravitz on the cheek and picked up his plate to take it to the sink.

It was quiet for a moment while he rinsed it off, Angus probably too busy scarfing down his pie to make conversation.

“You alright Angus?” He heard Kravitz ask just as he was setting the plate down in the drying rack. He turned to see that Angus had actually slowed down, still chewing on what looked like the first bite of his second slice. 

He was staring at the pie on his plate, and he looked like he was taking very deliberate breaths. 

“Ango?” Taako walked back to the table, moving faster than he had intended to. 

Angus swallowed slowly, opened his mouth, closed it, swallowed again, more forcefully. It looked like his breathing was getting more labored. 

Then he looked up at Taako, and there was panic growing in his eyes. “I can’t-” he wheezed through a breath. “-breathe, Taako I- I can’t breathe-!” 

He looked like he was trying to swallow again but he couldn’t. His breathing was quick and shallow, wheezing on every intake. 

Taako felt like his heart had stopped beating. “Get Merle.” He said as he moved around the table. 

“What?” Kravitz looked startled, eyes darting between Taako and Angus.

“I said get Merle!” Taako shouted, his voice cracking.

This time Kravitz stood immediately, his chair nearly tipping over, and was ripping a portal through space with his scythe in the blink of an eye. 

Taako was at Angus’ side in an instant. “Ango? Ango look at me, it’s gonna be okay.”

Angus was opening and closing his mouth but no sound was coming out. His breath was hitching and there were tears starting to form in his eyes.

“It’s gonna be okay-” but his voice broke on a sob

He realized there were tears streaming down his own cheeks, when had that happened? And now his heartbeat had returned and was roaring in his ears. 

What did he do, what did he do,  _ what did he do? _

Angus’ eyes were going unfocused and he reached up to clutch at his throat. He wasn’t breathing at all now  _ oh god he isn’t breathing.  _

Taako felt like the breath was leaving his lungs too, and terror had his heart in a vice grip.

He fucked up he fucked up it’s all his fault what did he do Angus is going to _ die- _

Angus slumped forward onto Taako’s shoulder right as the rift appeared and Kravitz and Merle burst into the room. 

Taako felt like he was going to pass out. There was a ringing in his ears so loud he couldn’t hear what anyone was saying and his vision was blurred from tears, and then someone was pulling Angus out of his arms, and he was vaguely aware of trying in vain to clutch onto him but someone was pulling him back. 

Taako collapsed into strong arms, and Kravitz’ voice cut through the panic screaming in his mind.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, Merle’s got him, Taako it’s not your fault.”

But he sounded as terrified as Taako felt. 

He realized he was mumbling through his sobs, “It’s my fault, it’s my fault, it’s all my fault-”

Then suddenly there was a loud shuddering gasp, and Taako snapped forward.

He blinked rapidly to clear the tears from his eyes, and there was Merle, carefully holding Angus up in his chair as he coughed and gasped for breath.

“What happened? Is he okay?” Taako choked out. 

“He’ll be fine. Careful Angus, slow deep breaths.”

There were a few moments of silence, save Angus trying to get air back into his lungs.

When he managed to stop gasping quite so much, he wiped at his eyes and looked around. “I’m- I’m okay. Thank y-you.” Angus breathed carefully. 

“Oh thank gods.” Kravitz was saying, but Taako was already lunging forward to throw his arms around Angus. 

“Hey hey! Don’t choke him to death right after I  _ stopped him  _ from dying.” Merle said indignantly.

But Angus was clutching on to the back of Taako’s shirt and seemed like he had no intention of letting go. 

“Fuck, Angus, I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry-” Taako was vaguely aware of how embarrassed he’d be later about the way he was sobbing and hiccuping through his words, but as it was he’d gone from indescribable terror to overwhelming relief in the span of about five minutes, so he let himself carry on for now.

“Sir, sir,” Angus was saying quietly, his breathing mostly back to normal now. “I don’t think it was your fault.”

Taako managed to pull back enough to look at him. “What?” 

“If it had been something wrong with the pie, it would have happened to you and Kravitz too.”

“So what did happen?” Kravitz had come up behind Taako and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. 

“Anaphylactic shock is what happened. What’s this you had?” 

Merle reached over to the plate of pie Angus had abandoned on the table and took a bite.

For a second Taako felt lightheaded as his heart clenched with fear. “What the fuck are you-!”

“Elderberries, huh?”

“I’d never had them before.” Angus said like he had just had an epiphany. 

“Man that’s good.” Merle muttered, licking his lips. “Yeah, you’re allergic to elderberries.”

Taako’s head was spinning but he felt the panic start to ebb away as Merle’s words sunk in.

“So it wasn’t… something I did wrong?” He asked slowly. 

He felt Kraviz give a long sigh of relief behind him. “No love, Angus is just allergic. It wasn’t your fault.” 

Taako felt like sobbing all over again but this time he managed to hold it in.

Angus frowned, disappointed. “So this means I can’t have elderberries anymore? They were really good…”

A relieved laugh burst out of Taako, and he wiped at the fresh tears threatening to spill from his eyes. “Fuck Ango, I’ll make you any other kind of pie you want, but I’m not fucking brining elderberries into the house after ths.”

Angus giggled a little, and Taako pulled him into another hug. Kravitz wrapped his arms around them both, and despite his protests and eye rolls Merle was pulled in to.

Angus was okay, Taako repeated in his head, everything was okay, it wasn’t his fault. It was okay. 

**Author's Note:**

> TW for severe allergic reaction, like going into anaphylactic shock. I'm not sure if I made it exactly as bad as anaphylactic shock, but my sister has allergies and I was going off their experiences with severe reactions.


End file.
